Car-coupling



Nu. 6ll,|24 Patented Sept. 20, |898. W. H. HOPKINS J. S. EVANS. GARCOUPLING.

' (Application med Jan. 24, 189s.)

(No Model.)

di l j f/W w Q W/ bination and arrangement of parts hereinafelevated inreadiness to couple with a link.

tions to effect the coupling between cars o UNITED STATES ATENI Frison.

VILLIAM II. HOPKINS AND JAMIES S. EVANS, OF DETROIT, ALABAMA.

CAR-Courriels.Y

SPECIFICATION forming part yof LettersV Patent No. 611,124, datedSeptember 20, 1898.

Application filed January 24, 1898. Serial No. 667,758. V(No model.)

To a/ZZ wtom/ t may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. HOPKINS and JAMES S. EVANS, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Lamar and Stateof Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Ocuplings,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved carcoupling, and particularly tothat class of automatic couplings in which the coupling is effected bymeans of a link and pin; and it has for its object to provide improvedmeans for holding the pin raised until the link has passed thereunderinto the draw-head and also for holding the link level or at differentinclinathe same or different heights.

It has for its further object to provide improved means for operatingthe pin and link supporting mechanism.

It has for its further object to provide an improved coupling-pin andpin-guiding mechanism; and, finally, it has forits object to improve theconstruction and efficiency of this class of couplings generally.

To these ends our invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction and in the comter described, and particularly pointed outinv the claims following the description,reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein-Figure 1 is a central vertical section of one of the draw-heads equippedwith our improved coupling mechanism, showing the pin Fig. 2 is asimilar view showing in full lines the link supported in position forcoupling with a low car and showing in dotted lines the link elevated tocouple with a high car, and Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the draw-head,provided with pinholes 2, as usual, thro-ugh which the couplingpin 3 isadapted to passto hold the link 4 in the draw-head. The pin 3 iselongated or elliptical in cross-section, its major axis being inalinement with the major axisof the link, whereby the pin is greatly.strengthened and enabled to withstand heavy strains. To

prevent the pin from turning and to hold itA `move vertically to coupleand unconple the link; but'owingto the elliptical cross-sectional shapeof the pin and the way formed bythe grooves the pin is prevented fromturning, and its major axis is thus maintained in alinement with thelink. The attainment of this result is aided by providing the pin 3 witha flat head 7, which is arranged at a right angle to the major axis ofthe pin and projects on each side between the adjacent sides or edges ofthe guides 5. The guides 5 not only serve to prevent the coupling-pinfrom turning, but also operate to accurately guide the pin into thelower pin-hole 2 in theoperation of coupling, and the head of the pinholds it in place. For-raising the pin we journal to the end of the caracranked shaft 8, which extends transversely across the end of the carand is provided at its opposite ends with handles 9. The crank 10 oftheshaft is connected to the pin 3 by a chain 11, whereby when the shaft isturned or rocked in the proper direction the pin will be raised torelease the link. In order to prevent the pin from being entirelywithdrawn from the guides, the shaft 8 is provided with a lug orarn1^12, which when the pin has been -raised the required distance will-`abut the end of the car and prevent the shaft from being furtherrotated. By this means lthe pin can be raised from either side of thecar to uncouple the cars without the 4neces- IOO and through anelongated slot 17, formed in the bottom of the draw-head and rigidlyattached at its lower end to the forward end of a lever 1S. The lever 18is straight for the greater portion of its length, but at its rear endis curved downward and passes through a guide 19, fixed to the underside of the drawhead. J ournaled in bearings on the under side of thedraw-head is a rock-shaft 20, provided with a crank 21, to the end ofwhich is loosely connected the lower curved end of the lever 18. Theopposite ends of the rockshaft 2O are provided with crank-handles 22, bymeans of which the rock-shaft may be turned from either side of the car.

The operation of the couplingis as follows: When it is desired to coupletwo cars together, one end of the link 4 is inserted in one of thedraw-heads and the coupling-pin 3 lowered therethrough into the lowerpin-hole 2. lf the opposing draw-head is lower than the draw-headcarrying the link, then the rock-shaft 2O is turned in the properdirection to lift the block 14 until the link rests on the flaring loweredge of the mouth of the draw-head, as shown in full lines 'in Fig. 2,in which position the link will be inclined downwardly, so as to enterthe opposite and lower draw-head. 1f, on the other hand, the opposingdraw-head is higher than the draw-head carrying the link, the rockshaft20 is turned in the opposite direction to cause the overhanging flange15 of the block 14 to press down upon the end of the link and raise ituntil it lies flat upon the rearward incline 13, in which position thelink will be inclined upward, so as to enter the opposite and higherdraw-head. Again, if the two draw-heads to be coupled are of the sameheight then the rock-shaft should be turned to cause the overhangingflange 15 to depress the inner end of the link until the latter assumesa horizontal position, the link turning upon the apex of the incline 13as a fulcrnm. In the opposing draw-head the pin is raised by themechanism before described and is held in its elevated position byturning the rock-shaft 20 to throw the block 14 upward and forward toits eXtreme limit of movement, in which position the flange 15 will restbeneath the lowerend of the pin and support the latter. When the twodraw-heads are brought together, the end of the link will pass beneaththe overhanging flange 15 and strike the block 14E, forcing the latterback,

upon which the pin will drop through the link by gravity and completethe coupling.

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In a car-coupling,the combination with the draw-head, of a block arranged to niove bothvertically and longitudinally therein, said block being provided at itsfront edge with a forwardly projecting overhanging ange adapted toengage the end Vof the link or hold the pin elevated, an arm rigid withsaid block and projecting downward through a slot in the bottom of thedraw-head, a lever rigidly attached at one end to said arm, and meansfor simultaneously rocking and reciprocating said lever, substantiallyas described and for the purpose specified.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination with the d raw-head provided witha rearwardly and downwardly inclined bottom having an elongated slotformed therein, of a block arranged in the draw-head and provided at itsfront edge with a forwardly-projecting overhanging flange, an arm rigidwith said block and projecting downward through said slot, a leverrigidly attached at its forward end to the lower end of said arm andcurved downward at its rear end, a guide on the under side of thedraw-head through which the lever passes, and means for moving the rearend of the lever in the are of a circle, substantially as described, andfor the purpose specified.

3. In a carecoupling, the combination with the draw-head having arearwardly and downwardly inclined bottom having an elongated slotformed therein, of a block arranged in the draw-head and provided at itsfront edge with a forwardly-projecting overhanging fiange, an arm rigidwith said block and projecting downward through said slot, a leverrigidly attached at its forward end to the lower end of said arm andcurved downward at its rear end, a guide on the under side of thedrawhead through which the lever passes, and a rock-shaft provided witha crank loosely connected to the rear end of the lever, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscrbin g witnesses.

WILLIAM I-l. I-IGPKINS. JAMES S. EVANS. Witnesses:

JOHN 1I. MALIER, JAMES T. CLARK.

IOO

